Afghan suicide car bomb blast death toll 'rises to 89'

The death toll from a suicide car bomb blast in Afghanistan’s eastern Paktika province has risen to at least 89 according to a defence ministry spokesman.

Many victims of the attack at a crowded market are said to be women and children. Dozens of people have been taken to hospital.

It happened near the border with Pakistan’s North Waziristan region where the military has been attacking hideouts of the Pakistani Taliban in the past few weeks, prompting militants to retreat towards Afghanistan.

Separately in Kabul, a roadside bomb killed two employees of President Hamid Karzai’s press office. The Taliban claimed responsibility.

The attacks took place as foreign troops are gradually withdrawing from the country. The United Nations said last week that civilian casualties jumped by almost a quarter in the first half of this year as hostilities escalated.